Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"Not really, their business is doing well," Xiao Lin said. Though he hadn't eaten at Xiaohezi Restaurant, his relatives had, and they couldn't stop praising the food. They said they would return whenever they had the chance, not sounding like they were exaggerating.

Manager Yao responded disinterestedly, "Oh."

"Don't you believe it?" Xiao Lin asked, seeing his reaction.

"I believe it," Manager Yao replied.

Xiao Lin asked, puzzled, "Aren't you worried?"

Manager Yao retorted, "Worried about what?"

"Worried about them taking away customers?"

"Xiao Lin, do you know?" Manager Yao said with a meaningful tone.

"What?" Xiao Lin asked curiously.

"Qingshi Town is situated at a crucial point on the Zitang Canal. Many people traveling north and south like to stop here, to shop and eat. Naturally, many have seen the constant flow of people and hence, one restaurant after another has opened. But look," Manager Yao pointed outside, "over all these years, only Wangyue Restaurant has stood the test of time, right?"

Xiao Lin thought carefully and realized that seemed to be the case.

Manager Yao continued, "Did Xiaohezi Restaurant offer a 20% discount when they first opened?"

"Yes," Xiao Lin nodded.

Manager Yao became more smug, elaborating, "Customers, you see, are attracted by novelty and bargains. They flock to the newly opened Xiaohezi Restaurant for the excitement, to take advantage of the discounts, and to try the free dishes. But after a few days, they'll tire of it and return to our Wangyue Restaurant. It's always been this way."

Xiao Lin nodded, half-understanding.

Manager Yao added, "We have the best chef in Qingshi Town."

Indeed.

The chefs at Wangyue Restaurant were highly skilled, especially Chef Yu, who had left. Xiao Lin, who loved his cooking, nodded vigorously.

"Alright, get back to work," said Manager Yao.

Xiao Lin immediately ran off.

Manager Yao didn’t take Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop seriously. In the following days, he disregarded mentions of it from customers, continuing his usual arrogant management style, scolding the waiters, reprimanding the kitchen staff, picking on the money-makers, and finding ways to deduct their wages for his own gain, living carefree as always.

Gradually, he noticed a daily decline in earnings, with each day bringing in less than the last, and then he realized the restaurant was losing customers.

The next day, he gathered all the staff and berated them for not performing their duties, blaming them for the dwindling customer base.

The staff remained silent.

Manager Yao continued his tirade.

Unable to hold back, Xiao Lin muttered, "The customers have all gone to Xiaohezi Restaurant."

"What did you say? What did you say?!" Manager Yao asked loudly.

Xiao Lin didn’t dare make a sound.

"Speak up!" Manager Yao shouted.

Startled, Xiao Lin nervously said, "The customers have gone to Xiaohezi Restaurant."

It was as if Manager Yao had just remembered, asking, "Xiaohezi Restaurant hasn’t closed down yet?"

"No, their business is getting better and better," Xiao Lin replied.

"Getting better and better?"

Other restaurants lose customers after the discount period, but Xiaohezi Restaurant is actually doing better?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Manager Yao, refusing to believe it, decided to see for himself. He sternly said, “Stop blaming others for everything. Reflect on your own shortcomings. Why else would customers go elsewhere? Enough, get back to work. If we lose more customers, none of you will keep your jobs!” With that, he turned and left.

The staff of the restaurant grumbled quietly in resentment.

Manager Yao, oblivious to their complaints, left Wangyue Restaurant and made his way through twists and turns to Shuiqing Lane, thinking, “Only a fool would come here to eat. I don't even know where Xiaohezi Restaurant is. I'll have to ask someone.”

Before he could ask, he noticed people heading in one direction. Looking up, he saw the distinct signboard of Xiaohezi Restaurant from a distance.

"Ah, there's Xiaohezi Restaurant!" someone nearby exclaimed.

"It's easy to find!" another person added.

"I heard it's really delicious!"

"My cousin also said it's great. They've recently introduced spring dishes like shepherd's purse pork dumplings, spring vegetable medley, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, all incredibly tasty."

"Ah, I love spring dishes the most."

"Let's hurry up."

“……”

A group of people rushed past Manager Yao like a gust of wind.

Following their gaze, Manager Yao saw a steady stream of people entering Xiaohezi Restaurant.

It was true.

Xiaohezi Restaurant was indeed bustling with business.

He took a few steps forward, drawn by the enticing aroma from inside, contemplating trying it himself. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. Looking up, he saw Zhang Wu at the door, inviting customers in: “Please come inside, we have a table at number five available. Yes, yes, yes, we have plenty of shepherd's purse pork dumplings today, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork... You've come at the perfect time, any later and it would all be gone.”

Zhang Wu!

Zhang Wu is actually working here!

Manager Yao, recalling his past disputes with Zhang Wu, felt even more displeased with Xiaohezi Restaurant, and just then, Zhang Wu looked in his direction.

Manager Yao quickly hid, but accidentally bumped into someone.

That person looked up, surprised to see Manager Yao.

Manager Yao recognized him as Old Liu, a regular customer of Wangyue Restaurant and also the supplier of wooden kitchen utensils like chopsticks, spoons, baskets, and steamer racks.

Seduced by the delicious food at Xiaohezi Restaurant, Old Liu had become addicted and abandoned Wangyue Restaurant to dine here instead, not expecting to run into Manager Yao.

Embarrassed, he quickly made an excuse, "I was actually planning to eat at Wangyue Restaurant, but my old friend insisted I join him here. I'll definitely go to Wangyue Restaurant for my grandson's birthday banquet in a few days." While saying this, his eyes darted anxiously and eagerly towards Xiaohezi Restaurant, as if worried about not getting a table.

Manager Yao noticed this but said nothing.

Anxious, Old Liu said, "My friend is calling me, I have to go," and then hurriedly ran towards Xiaohezi Restaurant.

Furious, Manager Yao watched him leave and happened to lock eyes with Zhang Wu.

Zhang Wu was startled.

Manager Yao snorted disdainfully through his nostrils and then stormed off with a flick of his sleeve.

Zhang Wu was lost in thought for a while, wondering what Manager Yao was doing here. After the customers had finished eating and left, he rushed to the kitchen to tell Xiao Yu about seeing Manager Yao.

Chef Yu was startled: "What was he doing here?"

"I don't know," Zhang Wu shook his head.

"What should we do now!" Chef Yu suddenly became worried.

Xiao Yu, puzzled, asked, "What's the matter?"

Chef Yu frowned and said, "Xiao Yu, you only worked at Wangyue Restaurant for a little over a month, so you might not know about Manager Yao's character."

"I know, he's greedy, lecherous, and loves to bully others with his power," Xiao Yu said.

"That's right," Zhang Wu agreed.

"It's more than that. I'm afraid he might try to suppress you!" Chef Yu expressed his concern.

Xiao Yu was genuinely unaware: "What do you mean?"

"Manager Yao is very petty. If he dislikes someone, he'll find ways to suppress them. There was another restaurant that was doing well, and it hadn't provoked him, but he was unhappy about them making money. He constantly created obstacles for them, making it impossible for them to continue, until they finally had to pack up and leave," Chef Yu explained.

Zhang Wu was actually unaware of this.

Xiao Yu, curious, asked, "What kind of obstacles did he create?"

Chef Yu replied, "He would buy up all the meat and vegetables for the day, compete with discounts, hire people to cause trouble, slander the competition, and so on. Basically, he drove them nearly to insanity."

Zhang Wu exclaimed, "He's really that despicable?!"

Xiao Yu remained deep in thought.

After pondering, Zhang Wu asked, "So Chef Yu, do you think Manager Yao came over today to scout out our restaurant's business, planning his next move?"

Chef Yu worriedly replied, "I'm afraid so."

Zhang Wu became anxious: "What should we do then?"

Chef Yu shook his head, "I don’t know."

"It's fine, we just keep doing our business," Xiao Yu said calmly.

Chef Yu asked, "But what if he plays dirty?"

Xiao Yu responded, "If he starts causing trouble, we'll figure out a plan then. For now, let's just focus on doing our jobs well and leave no room for criticism."

"That's all we can do for now," Zhang Wu agreed.

Chef Yu still appeared worried.

Xiao Yu reassured, "Chef Yu, don't worry. I'm very smart."

"I'm smart too!" Danzi ran in and said.

"Me too, me too," Minghe and Yu Tongtong also ran over and added.

"Right, we're all smart. We don't need to fear the bad guys," Xiao Yu declared.

"Absolutely," Zhang Wu and the others echoed.

Seeing the unity at Xiaohezi Restaurant, which far exceeded that of Wangyue Restaurant, Chef Yu felt somewhat relieved, but he still cautioned, "Xiao Yu, we must be careful in everything we do."

"Understood," Xiao Yu replied.

"Grandpa, is the food ready? My stomach is grumbling," Yu Tongtong said, touching her belly.

"Little girl, you're always hungry, even in someone else's house. Aren't you shy?" Chef Yu teased.

"Minghe isn't someone else; he's my very best friend!" Yu Tongtong declared.

"Right! We are the best friends in the world!" Minghe said, holding Yu Tongtong's hand.

Danzi asked, "Brother, what about me?"

"We are the best... uh..." Minghe pondered for a while before finding the right words, "We are the best brothers in the world!"

Danzi was satisfied.

Xiao Yu asked, "What about me?"

Minghe said, "We are the best family in the world!"

Zhang Wu asked, "What about me, Minghe?"

Minghe was stumped this time and said, "Uncle Zhang, you ask too many questions... just read more books."

Zhang Wu and the others burst into laughter.

The atmosphere in the kitchen became relaxed.

Everyone had lunch together and then took a rest.

Xiao Yu also lay down on his bed, his thoughts preoccupied with Manager Yao. He knew that where there are people, there are inevitably conflicts of interest, and he wondered if Manager Yao might target him.

But how would he do it?

Regardless, he decided to be cautious as Chef Yu had advised. After waking up, he thoroughly checked the restaurant inside and out, instructed the newly hired Chef Sun and other kitchen staff, dishwashers, and cleaners about their duties, and joined in the work himself.

The next morning, he went to the market with the three children, purposefully buying radishes, shepherd's purse, pork, and other ingredients.

Suddenly, Danzi stood up on the cart.

Minghe shouted, "Brother, what are you doing?"

Yu Tongtong warned, "Danzi, it's dangerous."

But Danzi stretched out his arms and said, "Uncle, hug."

Xiao Yu approached and hugged Danzi, asking, "Why do you suddenly want a hug?"

Danzi wrapped his arms around Xiao Yu's neck, whispering, "Uncle, there's a boy who has been following us. He looks like a rat and it's scary."